Activity toy with articulated movable human figures

ABSTRACT

A ACTIVITY TOY COMPRISING A SLOTTED ELEVATED HORIZONTAL PLATFORM HAVING SLOTTED ARTICLES OF FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES MOUNTED THERETON AND A PLURALITY OF ARTICULATED HUMAN FIGURES MOUNTED ON VERTICAL STEMS WHICH EXTEND THROUGH THE SLOTS IN THE HORIZONTAL PLATFORM, SAID STEMS BEING MANUALLY SUPPORTED FROM BELOW THE PLATFORM AND MANUALLY MOVED ALONG THE SLOTS TO TRANSPORT THE ARTICULATED FIGURES FROM STATION TO STATION ON SAID PLATFORM AND INTO AND OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH THE SLOTTED ARTICLES OF FURNITURE AND APPLIANCES. THE SLOTS IN THE ELEVATED PLATFORM ARE LABYRINTHINE, INTERCONNECTED AND INTERCOMMUNICATING FOR MOVEMENT OF THE FIGURE-SUPPORTING STEMS FROM SLOT TO SLOT AND FROM POSITION TO POSITION ALONG EACH SLOT. THE FIGURE-SUPPORTING STEMS ARE ALSO VERTICALLY MOVABE THROUGH THE SLOTS, AND THEY ARE PROVIDED WITH HORIZONTAL PLATES WHICH SERVE AS STANDS FOR MECHANICALLY SUPPORTING THE FIGURES IN UPRIGHT POSITION ON THE PLATFORM.

o. FORMAN 3,611,627

ACTIVITY TOY WITH ARTICULATED MOVABLE HUMAN FIGURES Oct. 12, 1971 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1970 AJV/A IV A] IV// INVENTOR. DONALD FORMAN W Sh A TTORNEYS ACTIVITY. TOY WITH ARTICULA'IED MOVABLE HUMAN FIGURES Filed July 9, 1970 D. FORMAN Qch E2, W71

2 Sheets-Sheet I I In XNVENTOR, DONA LD FOR/VAN ATTORNEY-S 3,611,627 Patented Oct. 12, 1971 Filed July 9, 1970, Ser. No. 53,448 lint. Cl. A63h 7/00 US. Cl. 46-126 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An activity toy comprising a slotted elevated horizontal platform having slotted articles of furniture and appliances mounted thereton and a plurality of articulated human figures mounted on vertical stems which extend through the slots in the horizontal platform, said stems being manually supported from below the platform and manually moved along the slots to transport the articulated figures from station to station on said platform and into and out of engagement with the slotted articles of furniture and appliances. The slots in the elevated platform are labyrinthine, interconnected and intercommunicating for movement of the figure-supporting stems from slot to slot and from position to position along each slot. The figure-supporting stems are also vertically movable through the slots, and they are provided with horizontal plates which serve as stands for mechanically supporting the figures in upright position on the platform.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention (2) Description of the prior art The following is a list of the most pertinent prior art known to applicant and located in Class 46, subclasses 15, 126, 145, 151, 161 and 162:

Patent No. Name Apr. 13, 1926. MePheetars Sept. 14, 1926.

Heideklang Jan. 13, 1931. 2,310,254 Nassour Feb. 9, 19-13.

The similarities between the above cited prior art and applicants invention may be stated as follows: Nassour No. 2,310,254 shows a human figure mounted on a vertical stem which projects through a slot in a board. Mc- Pheeters No. 1,599,665 and Marchand No. 1,580,749 show articulated (jointed, segmented, hinged) human figures. Dondo No. 1,502,236 shows marionettes mounted on vertical stems projecting through slots in a horizontal board. None of these prior art patents, however, discloses the present combination, which includes articulated human figures which are movable into and out of engagement with slotted articles of furniture and appliances. None of these prior art patents discloses a labyrinthine arrangement of interconnected and intercommunieating slots through which the vertical stems supporting the articulated figures may be moved. None of the prior art patents shows articulated human figures which may be raised or lowered by means of a vertically extending stem and which may be mechanically supported at selected locations along the interconnecting slots by means of horizontal plates mounted on the vertical stems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises an elevated platform or board in which a plurality of interconnected and intercommunicating slots are formed in labyrinthine arrangement. Mounted on the platform or board. is a plurality of articles of furniture and appliances such as kitchen and bathroom appliances and the like. These articles and appliances are also slotted, and their respective slots register vertically with corresponding portions of the slots formed in the platform. The invention includes articulated figures of human beings (other figures, such as those of animals, may also be used) which are mounted on vertically extending stems or rods adapted to extend through the slots in the platform and in the articles of furniture and appliances.

In the operation of this activity toy, a child would place his hand below the platform and hold the lower end of a stem supporting one of the articulated figures. In this manner the child would support the articulated figure above the platform and by guiding the stem through the labyrinthine slots formed in the platform he would be able to move the articulated figure from place to place on the platform. Secured to the stem below the figure is a horizontally extending plate which is adapted to serve as a stand or support for the figure. This is accomplished by the simple expedient of lowering the stem until the supporting plate rests on the platform, and the plate will then function as a mechanical support for the figure.

Among the articles of furniture which are mounted on the platform are slotted chairs, benches and sofas. By guiding the stem supporting a particular figure into the slot of one of these articles, say a chair, the figure is brought into engagement with said article and its lower limbs are caused to pivot into sitting position. The figure may then be left to sit on said article of furniture while said other figures are moved about to other locations on the platform toward and away from other articles of furniture and appliances.

A single child may play with the above described activity toy, or a plurality of children may concurrently play with it, each manipulating a different articulated figure or a plurality of figures. The toy may be amplified to simulate places of business such as ofiices, commercial establishments such as restaurants and industrial establishments such as shops. The figures may be figures of children or adults or figures of animals. It is apparent that the activity toy herein described may be fashioned to simulate many kinds of environmental situations and many kinds of human and animal activities in relation thereto. The invention has play value for normal children and therapeutic value for disturbed or retarded children.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a plan view of an activity toy embodying the present invention exclusive of the movable figures used in conjunction therewith.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing one of the movable figures sitting in one of the appliances provided in said activity toy, namely, a bathtub.

FIG. 3 is another enlarged fragmentary vertical section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1, showing one of the movable figures seated on a chair and another standing on the floor.

FIG. 4 is a back view of one of said movable figures.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section showing one of the movable figures in a partially reclining position on a bed.

FIG. 6 shows a modified form of movable figure in a fully reclining position on a bed.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view showing the back of the modified movable figure.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on the line 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section showing said modified figure in a sitting position on a chair.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring now to the details of the invention as illustreated in the drawing, it will be observed that an elevated platform or board 10 is provided, this platform or board being mounted on legs or other suitable supports 12. A labyrinthine slot 14 is formed in said elevated platform 10, and it will be noted that this slot comprises a plurality of individual slots which are interconnected and intercommunicating. Stated differently, it is possible to pass from any slot or any position of any slot into any other slot or position thereof.

Mounted on elevated platform 10 is a plurality of articles of furniture and various other appliances such as chairs 16, bench or sofa 18 and beds 20. As a matter of design, platform 10 may be divided into various sections, each corresponding to a room in a house. For example, there may be bedroom sections containing beds 20 and various other articles of furniture such as a dresser 22. There may be a living room section containing chairs 16 and bench or sofa 18. By the same token, there may be a kitchen section containing chairs, a table, a sink, a stove and such other appliances as are normally found in kitchens. There may also be a bathroom section, with the usual appliances found therein, including a bathtub 23.

The chairs, bench or sofa and beds are provided, respectively, with slots 24a, 24b and 240, which register with corresponding portions of slot 14 in the platform. The purpose of this registration will shortly become apparent.

The invention also includes a plurality of human and other characters, such as figure 26 of a boy. This figure is articulated in the sense that the lower limbs are jointed and hinged at the knees and hips, resulting in lower legs 28 and upper legs 30 which are hingedly connected to each other, said upper legs 30 being also hingedly connected to the body or torso 32. More particularly, in the preferred embodiment of this invention tongue and groove sections are provided between the lower and upper legs and between the upper legs and the body, and cross-pins 34 are provided to interconnect said tongue and groove sections in order to form hinge connections. The arms 36 may also be pivotally connected to the body, as by means of pin 38.

The body of figure 26 is mounted on a vertical rod or stem 40 and secured to said vertical rod or stem is a horizontal plate or similar bracket 42. In the use of this invention one or more figures 26 or the like are employed, and one or more children may concurrently be engaged in the activity. Stem 40 of each such figure is inserted downwardly through labyrinthine slot 14 until its lower end projects below elevated platform 10. This lower end of the stem may be held in the childs hand, and it may be guided through the labyrinthine slot to any of its branches and to any of the aforementioned sections of the platform and to any of the aforementioned articles of furniture or appliances included therein.

Figure 26 may be placed in a standing position in any selected location on platform 10 by simply lowering stem 40 until plate 42 rests on said platform. See FIG. 3. This plate will now serve as a base or stand for the figure. When it is desired to place figure 26 into a sitting position on chair 16 (or bench or sofa 18), stem 40 is moved through the labyrinthine slot 14 until it enters slot 24a in said chair 16. Again see FIG. 3. The seat of said chair will engage the articulated limb sections of figure 26, caus- 4 ing them to pivot into sitting position. When the figure is removed from the chair, the articulated limb sections will swing downwardly into vertical or standing position.

Figure 26 may also be made to sit on one of the beds in the same manner as it is made to sit on one of the chairs. However, it may also be caused to recline on the bed, and this may be done by bringing stem 40 into slot 240 in the bed and then tilting the stem to as close to a horizontal position as can be arranged. If desired, the body of the figure may be pivotally connected to stem 40 by means of pins 40a (as shown in the modification of FIG. 8), and in such case there would be no need to tilt the stem in order to bring the figure into a reclining position on the bed. This could be accomplished by simply pivoting the body of the figure into a horizontal position when the stem 40 is in a vertical position extending through registering portions of slots 14 and 240. See FIG. 6.

It will now be understood that labyrinthine slot 14 is provided with a number of short dead-end branches such as branches 14a which extend under chairs 16 and register with slot 24a, branches 1412 which extend under settee or sofa 18 and register with slots 24b, and branches 14c which extend under beds 20 and register with slots 240. In other words, labyrinthine slot 14 may be provided with branches to any location on elevated platform 10 where it would be appropriate to move figure 26. The particular design of labyrinthine slot 14 as shown in the drawing is purely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This is also true of the articles of furniture and appliances which are shown on elevated platform 10. These articles and appliances are merely illustrative of the principle.

What is claimed is:

1. An activity toy for normal and mentally disturbed and retarded children, comprising:

(a) an elevated horizontal platform,

(b) toy articles of furniture mounted on said elevated platform,

(0) a labyrinthine slot formed in said elevated platform,

((1) said labyrinthine slot having a plurality of branch slots formed therein and interconnecting and communicating therewith,

(e) said articles of furniture also having slots formed therein in registration with corresponding branch slots, and

(f) an articulated hingedly jointed figure mounted on a supporting stern,

(g) said stem being adapted to extend vertically through the labyrinthine slot, its several branch slots, and the slots in the articles of furniture and being movable through all of said slots from one article of furniture to another and from one position to another on said elevated platform,

(h) said figure having lower limbs which are hingedly jointed at the knees and hips for sitting engagement with the slotted articles of furniture.

2. An activity toy in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

(a) the body of the figure is pivotally connected to the upper end of the stem to enable the figure to pivot to a horizontal position while the stem is held in vertical position,

(b) said articles of furniture including a bed having a slot formed therein in registration with one of the branch slots of the labyrinthine slot,

(0) said stem being movable through said bed and registering branch slots to cause the figure to engage said bed and to be pivoted to a reclining position thereon.

3. An activity toy in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

(a) the figure-supporting stem has a horizontal plate secured thereto below the figure and above the elevated platform,

(b) said horizontal plate serving as a support on said elevated platform for said figure.

5 6 4. An activity toy in accordance with claim 3, wherein: References Cited (a) the body of the figure is fixedly secured to the UNITED STATES PATENTS upper end of the stern, (b) whereby the figure is supported in a standing posi- 841963 7/1921 tion when the stem is held in a vertical position or 5 2,065,965 12/1936 Brown 46 140 X the stem is supported by its horizontal plate in a 2,327,234 8/1943 WONT et 46-426 vertical position. 5. An activity toy in accordance with claim 1, wherein: LOUIS MANCENE Primary Examiner (a) the arms of the figure are pivotally connected on D. L. WEINHOLD,JR., Assistant Examiner a horizontal axis to the body of the figure, 10 (b) whereby the arms may be moved upwardly or downwardly to selected positions relative to the body. 46-

US. Cl. X.R. 

